PREDOMINANT UROPATHOGENS AND THEIR MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE FROM BETHZATHA ADVANCED LABORATORY, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (MAY 2021-JUNE 2025)

Background: Urinary tract infection is predominant in clinical diagnosis and there have been increasing antimicrobial resistant strains of bacterial pathogens from urinary tract infections (UTI). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) reduces the treatment options and is becoming a global issue. Objective: The objective of the present work is to retrospectively analyse three years laboratory record of URO-pathogens and their resistance pattern to commonly available antimicrobial agents tested at Bethezatha Advancd Medical Laboratory. Method: Urine samples were sent to Bethzatha Advanced Medical Laboratory from different wards of Bethzatha Hospital and other Health Institutions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. These were cultured for isolation, identification of bacterial pathogens and testing antimicrobial susceptibility. The cultures were done on conventional culture media. Identification of bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using Micro Scan Identification Panel method. The panels were read by Micro Scan Auto Scan 4 reader (BeckMan) after incubating for 18 to 24 hours at 35oc aerobically. Results: A total of 700 urine samples were bacteriologically processed. Age of patients ranged from 3 to greater than 80 years old and ratio of female to male was 148: 81. Yield of pathogens was 205(29.3%). The most frequently isolated pathogens were E. coli, 125(60.9%). The frequency of recovery of E. ccoli from female 68(54.4%) and male 30(24%). Klebsiella species were isolated from 41(20%). Other uropatogens isolated in the present study included Pseudomonas spp, Citrobacter spp, Proteus spp, Acinetobacter baumani and Enterobacter spp. The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in the present study shows that the most frequent uropathogens were multidrug resistant. Out of 31 uropathogens tested against 21 antimicrobial drugs, 30/31 (96%) were resistant to two or more drugs. There was no isolate susceptible to all antimicrobials tested. Highest multiple resistance of E. coli, 88.9%, 76%, 66.7%, 56.3% and 51.9%, cefuroxime, ampicillin, trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin-sulbactam, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid respectively in that order. The present finding shows that the dominant multidrug resistant uropathogens were highly susceptible to imipenem, ertapenem, amikacin, meropenem, nitrofurantoin, gentamicein and tobramycin. Consequently it is important to wisely use these drugs in the treatment of clinically confirmed urinary tract infections.

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